“I didn’t expect this much media attention” – We saw Genki’s CES Nintendo Switch 2 model, here’s what they had to say
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“I didn’t expect this much media attention” – We saw Genki’s CES Nintendo Switch 2 model, here’s what they had to say

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

It was a great start to the week for Nintendo fans. A combination of the start of a new year and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has led to a deluge of Nintendo Switch 2 rumors, predictions and apparent leaks. Most interesting of all is a model of a supposed Switch 2 from accessory maker Genki that is being shown at the convention and appears to be based on real knowledge of the real system. We were curious, so IGN caught up with Genki to see what we could learn.

For some reason, Genki’s Switch 2 model is supposedly based on a real Switch 2 system that Genki saw and used as the basis for its accessories. A report from French publication Numerama contained some possible details shared by Genki, including verifying rumors of an optical sensor on the Joy-Con and showcasing the magnetic clips that attach these Joy-Cons to the system. Genki even posted a video on its own website showing a rendering of the system. The accessories company says it will launch in April.

IGN visited Genki’s booth at CES today and spoke with a Genki representative while reviewing their Switch model. The representative expressed surprise at all the enthusiasm for their model, saying that he feels like all the information about the Switch 2 has already been leaked and Genki isn’t saying anything new. “To be honest, I didn’t expect this much media attention,” they said. While Genki’s mock-up seems to add significantly more weight to the growing number of previous leaks about what the Switch 2 will be, it’s worth noting that Nintendo still hasn’t officially revealed anything about the system and all of these claims are subject to change or change complete exposure. Nintendo says a formal announcement is expected in the first quarter of this year.

Although the Genki representative didn’t know the Switch 2’s specs or anything about the motherboard, he said he could confirm “what’s physically there, what can be pushed and what can’t.”

They reconfirmed that the Joy-Cons attach to the system via magnets on the system side and metallic SL/SR buttons on the Joy-Cons, which can be released via a button on the back of each Joy-Con.

The Genki representative explained that the new console looks like it would physically fit into an old Nintendo Switch dock, but certain indentations appear to prevent it from actually being used in the dock itself. Even though current Joy-Cons can’t be physically attached to the sides of the new Switch, the Genki spokesperson said that the company “anticipates” that they will continue to function as wireless controllers, and explained that other accessory makers are looking at this capability set.

Unfortunately, the representative said he had no information about a new “C” button on his model of the right Joy-Con. They said there had been some rumors among accessory makers about it being a camera, but they couldn’t verify the actual function and didn’t know if the Switch 2 even had a camera.

Finally, the representative stated that there is an additional USB port on the top of the Switch 2, which he said can be used for “at least” handheld charging. They were unable to verify whether the switch could be docked upside down.

We brought a tape measure to the meeting so we could check the dimensions of Genki’s model. According to our measurements, the Switch 2 is 10.5 inches wide, 4.5 inches tall, 0.5 inches thick, and has an 8-inch screen. Compare that to the current Nintendo Switch OLED model, which is 9.5 inches wide, 4 inches tall, 0.5 inches thick, and has a 7-inch screen.

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Genki’s model seems to be in line with most of the current rumors and alleged leaks about Nintendo’s upcoming new system, which all seem to agree on the idea that it will be a larger, more powerful Nintendo Switch system with some minor differences in form. In addition to Genki’s information, we’ve also seen leaked images of a supposed new Joy-Con from Chinese social media that match the model we saw, as well as a leaked image of alleged internal components. Given the rapid pace of increasingly credible leaks and rumors, it’s possible that an official Switch 2 announcement is imminent – but we won’t know until Nintendo steps behind the curtain and makes it a reality.

In the meantime, you can read everything we saw at CES 2025 here.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her post on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Do you have a story tip? Send it to [email protected].